<— Last coin ----------     What I Like About Ancient Coins     ---------- Next coin —>
Last coin thumbnail   Next coin thumbnail

A quarter nummus of Antioch during the Great Persecution of Christians, with the Tyche of Antioch on the obverse and Apollo on the reverse Coin Type: Billon quarter nummus of Antioch under Maximinus II, Caesar 305-308 CE, Augustus 309-313 CE
Mint and Date: Antioch, Officina 8, 310-312 CE.
Size and Weight: 15mm, 1.21g
Obverse: GENIO AN-TIOCHENI
Tyche of Antioch seated on rock, river-god Orontes swimming below.
Reverse: APOLLONI SANCTO
Apollo standing left holding patera and kithara.
Field marks: H in right field.
Exergue: SNA
Provenance: The Holyland (Vcoins), August 2006
Ref: Vagi 2954
BW Ref: 008 025 086
Click on the picture for a larger scale view of the coin

Note 1: The exergue should have SMA. This coin clearly has SNA; this is probably just a mistake by the engraver.

Note 2: The obverse is a representation of the 4th century BCE statue of Tyche by Eutychides, which was made to symbolise the city. The reverse represents the statue of Apollo by Bryaxis which was made in the 3rd century BCE for a temple on the outskirts of Antioch. Both would have been famous historical symbols in Antioch when this coin was made; not just for the originals, but for the many copies which were always made of such iconic pieces.


The content of this page was last updated on 1 August 2009